news For Warren Johnson's family, it was all about teaching, but for himself as a youth, it originally wasn't.
Johnson's late father, Juno, established the precedent in the family, having been a high school biology teacher in Red Wing for many years, his son said Thursday.
Ellsworth, 54011

Ellsworth Wisconsin 126 S. Chestnut St. 54011

2013-06-13 14:15:28

For Warren Johnson's family, it was all about teaching, but for himself as a youth, it originally wasn't.

Johnson's late father, Juno, established the precedent in the family, having been a high school biology teacher in Red Wing for many years, his son said Thursday. Soon, the offspring of him and their mother, Beatrice, were all following his lead: daughter Laurel, now of Rochester, Minn., and sons, Bruce, Dave (already retired from the Ellsworth Middle School faculty) and Randy (who had taught before becoming information technology coordinator for Goodhue County, Minn.)

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The other son had a different idea, however.

"I was determined not to teach...I was going to do something else," he said, admitting, "I was young."

Somewhere along the path, whether from the influence of six out of seven family members who were teachers (all except his mom) or otherwise, Johnson changed his mind. He'll finish a 32-year career as a teacher when he retires from the Ellsworth School District the end of this term.

Bill Kirk has been editor at the Pierce County Herald in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, since 1988. He holds a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He previously worked in the media distribution department at the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus and is past editor of The Tri-County News in Osseo, Wisconsin.